


To Love a Beast

by alexdamnvers



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Carmilla Big Bang, Carmilla Big Bang 2017, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexdamnvers/pseuds/alexdamnvers
Summary: Carmilla didn't think that anyone would be able to break the curse. That was until a girl stumbled upon her castle, just wanting to save her father.OR, the Beauty and the Beast AU no one asked for.





	To Love a Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So after a painfully long process (that I definitely didn't procrastinate through), and a lot of hard work, here we are with my Carmilla Big Bang 2017 entry. A few things before you start:
> 
> \- There are some German phrases in the story here and there because the story takes place in Austria, as they do in the Carmilla universe. If you stumble upon one and feel like figuring out what it means, just use Google Translate (I promise it works).
> 
> \- The beginning of the story may be a little slow, but trust me! Shit gets real y'all; you'll wanna stick around for it. 
> 
> Well, what are you doing? Get on reading! I hope you guys enjoy it!

Countess Carmilla von Karnstein had everything anyone could ever want and more, being the daughter of Count Karnstein in Styria, a duchy of Austria in 1680. Her life was perfect, and everywhere she went, she flaunted it. When she was just a young 7, her father was killed in the great war against the Ottoman Empire, but that didn’t faze young Carmilla one bit. Each weekend, the palace would hold a grand ball in her honor; the most beautiful girls from all across Styria would fill the castle’s ballroom. Sweet music would be played away from the grand piano played by Theo, and Melanippe’s lovely voice filled the room as Carmilla floated around, dancing with every girl within reach.

17 years passed in a blur of bliss, and on her 18th birthday, there was a grand ball to celebrate. The ball was larger than any Carmilla had ever seen, and almost all of Styria’s finest had been in attendance. But, as things slowed down, the party took a dangerous turn. The sky turned a deep grey and bright flashes of lightning filled the sky as rain hammered down against the large windows. All light sources in the castle flickered off with a gust of wind as the doors opened, revealing an old woman. She was dressed in rags, a dark, hooded cape draped across her back. The hood obscured her rugged grey hair, leaving deep blue eyes staring into Carmilla’s.

Carmilla was filled with disgust for this old woman, for who let such a wretched creature into her party? Carmilla stepped forward to the woman, a glare written on her face. Behind them, party guests fled from the castle to find safety from the growing storm. Carmilla knelt down to the woman’s height as she held out a rose for the Countess. She took the rose and examined it, then let it fall to the ground.

As Carmilla looked back up at the woman, she noticed that she was standing up and a glow was surrounding her body. The cape dropped to the floor to reveal a beautiful enchantress, her body glowing with a gold shine. “Young Carmilla, don’t be deceived by outward appearances, for they don’t reflect the true nature of a person. A curse shall be cast upon this kingdom so that no one in Austria will remember of your castle. As for you and anyone who stands in this castle, you shall be cast into a darkness of your own. This rose is a timer; as each petal falls, the closer you come to being stuck under my spell. You’ll be trapped behind a mask until you can learn to love, and they can learn to love you back. But, then again, who could ever learn to love a beast?”

Carmilla fell to the ground as a bright wave of light spread across the castle, knocking her out of consciousness as the enchantress disappeared into a wisp of smoke. Her body lay still on the ground, but around her, things were changing rapidly. Human beings were transformed into inanimate objects, becoming unrecognizable to themselves. Yet, they could move and speak as if they were still alive.

As dawn approached and the sun peaked over the horizon, Carmilla’s body began to levitate off the ground. Light circled her body, then stopped as her body fell back to the floor. Her eyes slowly cracked open as she pushed herself against the nearby wall into a sitting position. Nothing about her was particularly different until she realized she wasn’t breathing, or rather she didn’t need to. She lifted her hand to place it on her heart and felt no beat. Carmilla was dead; alive, but not. Her tongue moved slightly in her mouth, only to hit something oddly sharp. She ran her tongue across her teeth, hitting two sharp fangs in her journey. Fangs, no heartbeat, a sudden craving for blood; there was only one explanation, and Carmilla didn’t know if she was ready to accept it. She was in for a long journey because immortality was just another side effect of being a vampire.

•••••

The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the small village of Silas. Laura stepped outside of her cottage, her blue dress flowing in the slight breeze. She tied her hair back into a neat ponytail as she hopped down the steps. She stopped for a moment to feed the chicken and proceeded down the cobblestone road toward midtown. A bell rang through the town, causing Laura to stop in her tracks for just a moment as she watched the town hall clock strike VIII. All around, windows opened, inviting friendly faces out, all wishing each other a “hallo!”. 

Laura continues walking, passing by the baker, who was carrying out trays of fresh bread. She takes a roll off the tray, nodding her head as a sign of thank you, and continues on her way. She stops at the stables for a moment, petting the head of a golden brown horse. She was about to turn away until behind her, a voice called out to her. “Good morning, Laura!”

“Morning, Herr Jakob. Did you lose something again?”

“I believe I have! The problem is… I can’t remember what! Oh well, I’m sure it’ll come to me.” Laura turned from Jakob, chuckling. She pulled an apple from her basket and fed it to the pony beside her. “Where are you headed?”

“To return this book to Vater Augustus! It’s about two lovers in Verona.”

“Sounds boring.” Laura bids farewell to Jakob, heading off through the village, setting off to her final destination. On her way, she passes by a school house with children entering the building. The kids all turn to watch her, eyes judging the strange character. She reaches the creek, hopping across the few rocks to reach the other side.

She passes through the cleaning well, women and young girls sitting around with clothing in their hands. As she walks by, all eyes are on her, judging her intently. Everyone in the town believed Laura to be an oddity, for she was unlike the rest of them. She enjoyed reading and she spent a lot of her time planted inside with her father. This girl was strange, no question.

As Laura passed by the many merchants, she heard gossip and chatter that just felt so stupid to her. She muttered under her breath, “There must be more than this provincial life.”

She soon found herself in Father Augustus’s small “library”. Augustus found himself dusting around the place when Laura walking in, immediately pausing at her presence. “Oh, well if it isn’t the only bookworm in town. Where did you find yourself running off to this time around?”

“Two cities in Northern Italy! I almost didn’t want to come back.” Laura spoke with him for a few minutes longer, wondering if Augustus had gotten any new stories while she had been enticed by the once she had just finished. But sadly, there was nothing new for her, so she took one of her favorites to reread, and bid Father Augustus adieu.

Laura exited, a small smile planted on her face. She continued off through the village, looking down at her new book, starting to read. She garnered looks from all of the villagers that she happened to pass, all looking at her as if she had come from another planet. As she reread this book, she stumbled upon her favorite part, a smile brewing on her face. _Here’s where she meets Prince Charming, but she won’t discover that it’s him ‘til chapter three,_ she thought to herself.

•••••

Not far off in the distance, two horses stood atop a hill. On those horses rested one Danny Lawrence, a fair maiden who had been pining for Laura for years and years, but could never seem to capture her heart. Beside her sat Wilson Kirsch, her sidekick ever since she was young. Danny held a pair of binoculars up to her eyes, watching Laura as she traveled through the small town. “There she is, Kirsch. My future wife. She gorgeous, and that makes her the one for me.”

“Yes, but have you seen her? She is so smart, what would you ever do with a girl like her? You’re almost the complete opposite of her, D-Bear.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Laura’s almost as stubborn and tough as she is beautiful.”

“Yeah, so why do you need her when you’ve got me?”

“She fills me in the spots that are just bare. I don’t know how to explain it, but I need her in my life, just as much as I need you.” The two headed into town, the chat completely focused around Danny’s huge girl crush on Laura. As they rode through the streets, everyone was gazing in awe at Danny. Everyone in town had taken a liking to the lad, for she was strong and beautiful all the same.

Danny continued after Laura, following her through the crowded streets of the central marketplace. And there she was, Laura, wandering through the crowds with her face stuffed in the book. Running through Laura’s heading was the constant thought of, _There must be more than this provincial life._ Everyone around couldn’t possibly see what she had, and she didn’t know any of these people could live like this; just a meaningless life filled with gossip and nonsense.

Danny grabbed a bouquet of flowers from a nearby stand and ran up to Laura, a look of confidence evident on her face. “Good morning, Laura.”

Laura stopped in her tracks, freezing at the sound of Danny’s voice. Oh, how she was dreading this conversation. “Hi, Danny.”

“You’re looking gorgeous today, did you know that? Oh, and these flowers are for you.”

“Oh, um, thank you, Danny. Well, I better be getting on my way…” Laura began to step away until she felt Danny’s hand on her shoulder.

“Wait just a moment… Join me for dinner tonight, and join me forever, Laura. You are the only one for me, darling.”

“Danny, I’ve told you a million times, I’m just not interested.”

“But I-”

“No, Danny.” Laura walked away, leaving Danny in the dust. For Laura couldn’t ever bear to spend her life with such an arrogant and protective girl as Danny. It hurt her to hurt others, but it was what she had to do for her own good. She was happy with her life; she lived with her father in a small cottage, a world that was safe and comfortable. She loved the way things were, and if she could never find the right girl for her, then this was the way she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

•••••

As she made her way closer and closer to the cottage, Laura could hear a light tune being hummed from her father. She entered inside to see Sherman Hollis sitting at his messy desk, items strewn everywhere as he worked on some new contraption to keep Laura safe. She stepped beside her father, putting a hand on his shoulder as she looked down at his work. There was a thought lingering in the back of her mind and she needed to voice it.

“Papa, do you think I’m strange?”

Sherman looked up at his daughter, amusement evident in his expression. “Strange? I wouldn’t say that you are strange sweetie.” He chuckles and grabs a hold of Laura’s hand. “No, you’re unique. And in all of the best ways. The village is small, but it’s safe Laura, and so are the minds of the townsfolk. When I lived back in Paris, I met a girl who everyone thought was _strange,_ to the point where they would pick on her from day to day. But she wasn’t strange, why, she was wonderful, and I fell in love with her. You are just like your mother, so wonderful and unique in your own ways.”

Laura could see tears brimming her father’s eyes, so she squeezed his hand, reassuring that she was there, safe and sound. “Papa, just- just tell me one more thing about her. Please.”

“Your mother… she was fearless and strong. She was ready to face the world, unafraid of what the world may throw back at her.” Laura and Sherman shared a look, one of love, as Sherman stood up and started packing items for his journey into the capital, for he had to deliver some items into Vienna. “And you are just as strong, so I trust that you will be fine while I am away for the week.”

“And I will, Papa.” Laura picked up the last remaining packages and brought them out to the carriage, placing them among the many other boxes. Laura walked up to her dad and they shared a bear hug, neither one of them wanting to let go. After a few moments, they separated and Sherman climbed into the carriage, waving as the horse trotted down the brick street and down towards the forest.

•••••

It seemed that the further down the route Sherman went, the more and more different it got. He swore that he had followed the right trail; he’d made this journey dozens of times before, there was no way he could’ve been lost. But when suddenly, the sky grew dark into a deep, dark abyss, the trees got progressively more bare and covered in white, and the air around him became a shocking cold, Sherman Hollis knew that he was heading somewhere he had never been.

He should have turned around, he knew that. There was a feeling in the atmosphere that just screamed to turn back the way he came, but he was so certain that he was going the right way that he continued on.

The tree slowly started to fade away as the carriage pulled into an open area, but when Sherman lifted his head, it wasn’t completely open. There stood a grand castle, that of which was completely unfamiliar to him. How he never knew of this castle he didn’t know, but if this is where he landed in the middle of a snowstorm, he was bound to seek shelter inside it. He led the horse toward the front stairway, stepping off the carriage and securing the horse.

In front of him was a garden of snow white roses, growing from vine to vine across the stone arches. They managed to bloom and glisten in such a storm, and Sherman couldn’t help but be enticed by them. He walked into the garden, reaching up to maybe admire the roses, maybe retrieve one to bring home to Laura, but he was stopped short by the feeling of two small sharp teeth piercing the side of his neck as he slipped into darkness.

•••••

Carmilla hadn’t felt the skin of a human, tasted the blood of a human, in a matter of hundreds of years. It was all so familiar, like a scene seen through layers of dark blue water, yet all so new.

Whoever this visitor -this _intruder_ \- was, he wasn’t going to last very long in the hands of Carmilla. Even if someone were to come and rescue him, there was no way she was letting go of the human, or the hero sent for him.

But Laura didn’t know that when the horse came running to her, leading her to a possible doom.

•••••

Laura didn’t know how to respond when the horse appeared in a panic at the cottage. She didn’t know where her father was or what could’ve possibly happened to him. But she did know that she had to save her father, there was no question. So she hopped on the horse and let it take her to wherever the danger was.

As Laura arrived at the castle, she could see her father’s belongings strewn all across the ground. They had slowly been covered deep in snow, becoming almost unrecognizable, as if he were never here. She slowly and cautiously approached the door, tapping it to knock on it, yet after one small tap, the door creaked open.

Inside, the foyer was dark, yet the golden pillars seemed to glisten in the dim light. Laura began to call out, looking for anyone who could possibly know where her father was. At first, she heard nothing. But after moment or so, she heard whispers coming from behind her. “Hello? Who was that? Is anybody there?”

But she received no response from her call. The castle filled again with an eerie silence until the same whispers were heard again. Laura followed the sound, but she saw no one. Until she looked down at the table in front of her. There rested a small clock and a candlestick, but they were no ordinary objects, but Laura didn’t know that. So when she heard faint sounds coming from upstairs, she took the candlestick and ran after what she hoped was her father.

The closer Laura got to the sound, the creepier the castle got. The soft, white walls began fading into dark, muddy bricks. She entered what seemed to be the dungeon, and after climbing the staircase a few more steps, she found herself facing her father, locked in a tiny cell way above the ground. If Sherman were to make a wrong move, he could find himself plummeting to his doom.

The two cried out in joy at sight of one another. “I’m going to get you out of there, Papa, I promise!”

But another voice followed hers, causing her to freeze in fright. The candlestick that Laura had placed upon the ground had moved a bit and was _speaking._ “Miss, I would turn back now. It would be safer for the both of you. Master would kill you both in an instant if she found you here.”

Laura didn’t have time to question whether she was going insane or not, she just had to get her father out of there and to safety. “But he’ll die if I don’t save him, right? Just tell me how to free him!”

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I can’t allow them to do that. All you can do is run and save yourself,” another voice spoke out from behind Laura. She turned around to find the clock from earlier pushing itself up the final step. “Oh, I’m Lola Perry, and the candle over there is LaFontaine. They aren’t the brightest; you’d probably be in more danger if I didn’t show up on time. Back to what I was saying, you either run to safety or Master will not let you live another day.”

Laura was about to respond until she heard sudden slow footsteps coming down the stairs. A large, black cat came from around the corner, its teeth bared and ready to pounce. To the side, Lafontaine whispered, “Too late.”

The cat snarled at Laura, but she didn’t flinch; she only backed up closer to her father’s cell to keep the creature as far away from him as she could. The cat looked over to Lafontaine and Perry, Lafontaine shrugging and Perry giving it a look, saying _‘Not my fault.’_

The cat stepped back slightly as it shrunk and shifted, and suddenly there was no longer a giant black cat but a girl, with long, dark waves and deep brown eyes. Laura was stunned. But she wouldn’t back down. “Let him go. He didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

The girl with the brown eyes looked up at Laura, amusement written across her face. “Didn’t do anything? He invaded property that he shouldn’t have been anywhere near. He’s mine now; it’s been a long time since there’s been anything close to human for me to live off of. And now that you’re here, I would run before I stick you in there with him.”

The girl smiled, revealing two sharp fangs, and Laura almost stumbled backwards. This girl was a _vampire_ and was feeding off of her father. She had to save him. “Please,” Laura choked out. “At least let me say goodbye.”

“Fine,” the girl snarled, reaching up to unlock the door. “But once the door closes, it’s not opening again unless it’s for my purposes.” The door creaked open and Laura ran into her father’s arms. Tears were threatening to pour from their eyes, but they had to be strong. For each other.

“Laura,” Sherman started, “you have to get out of here. Go, live your life. I’ll be okay here for as long as I live. You need to stay safe, Laura. Go home.”

“No, _I_ will be okay here. Go, Papa, while you can.” And with that, Laura pushed her father out of the cell and pulled the door shut, a loud slam ringing through the dungeon. The vampire turned to look at Laura, visibly shocked.

“You took his place.”

“He’s my father. I’d rather let myself suffer than have him die.”

“You’re a fool. You don’t even have an idea of what’s coming.” And with that, the girl took hold of Sherman, dragging him down the long staircases. Laura sat down against the cell wall, thinking, _‘What did I just do?’_

•••••

Carmilla said she wasn’t going to let anyone who came near her live. That was a promise she made herself a very long time ago. Yet there she was, setting her prisoner free so that he could run back to where he came from.

She wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for that girl. She didn’t know what happened but when she looked into the blonde’s eyes, Carmilla almost froze. There was something about the girl that made her stop, almost as if she was put under a spell.

But what she didn’t know was that the selfless, young girl waiting for her in the cell was going to live. And Carmilla would live too.

•••••

Laura didn’t know how long she had been sitting there, but she had been slowly dozing off. Just as her eyes began to close, a loud creak erupted through the cell. Laura shot up and picked up the closest thing to her, to use as a weapon, and turned around to find that her cell door was open. As she glanced down, she saw two figures, a clock and a candlestick; Perry and LaFontaine.

LaFontaine looked up at Laura, a smirk on their face. “Well, are you coming?”

Perry stood a good distance away from the candlestick, her face ridden with guilt as if she definitely didn’t want to be letting Laura out, but Laura could tell that she’d do anything for LaFontaine and that’s why she was here with them. And Laura appreciated it, all the kindness that the two of them had shown her.

But then it struck her; they were letting her out of the cell. Why? What happens when the girl finds out? LaFontaine must’ve been reading her mind because they said, “Oh c’mon, Laura, right? It’s fine, we’ve got a room just for you, if you’re gonna be here a while, may as well make yourself at home! And don’t worry about Carmilla, she isn’t gonna hurt you.”

_Carmilla. So that’s her name._

Laura nodded hesitantly, then follow the two down the long paths of stairs, narrow hallways, and walkways as they led her to her room. Laura couldn’t help but notice how huge the castle was. Only one person lived here? “This place is huge,” she whispered, but LaFontaine seemed to notice.

“It is pretty big, and you can go anywhere in the East Wing while you’re here! Just stay away from the West Wing, err, I mean-”

“Why? What’s in the West Wing?”

Perry perks up from behind them, “Nothing! There is no West Wing! Only the East Wing…”

“Perr… The West Wing, it’s- Just don’t go there, frosh, okay? It’ll get you in big trouble.”

Laura nodded and continued down the hall until they reached a room at the end of it. The doors swung open to reveal a large room, the walls painted a bright white, and in the center of the ceiling hung a huge, golden chandelier, making the room shine. Tall windows lined the walls and the bed was bigger than any that Laura had ever seen. “Welcome to your new room!”

They began walking into the room until they were pushed to the side by a feather duster. It took the shape a swan’s head with feathers extending out at the bottom. “JP!” LaFontaine exclaims, walking into the room more. The feather duster, JP, began floating across the room, cleaning every surface within reach to make sure it was perfect for Laura. After he finished, he landed in front of Laura. “Verzauberten Fräulein!”

Laura smiled at the gesture then stepped to the bed, sitting down on the fresh covers. Laura looked up to see a large vanity, one that looks like it hadn’t been touched in years. But when LaFontaine sudden shouted ‘Mel!’, the vanity began to stir, its drawers opening and closing with clothing flying everywhere. The vanity doors opened to reveal a mirror, and suddenly another voice spoke, coming from the vanity.

“Oh! Someone to dress! Come here, miss!” Laura hesitantly walked towards the object. Drawers started opening as fabric flew around her, circling her body. When it finally stopped, it looked like someone had thrown up fabric all over her. The dress was snug around her body, with a skirt that blew out like a balloon.

“Well,” LaFontaine began, “enjoy your stay!” With that, the door slammed shut. There she was, alone in a room in an unfamiliar place, and she was scared. She wanted to get out of there. Her mind looked around the room for something, anything, when she stopped at the windows. That’s it.

Laura struggled her way out of the dress and ran over to the windows. But she was disappointed at the sight. There was no way she was getting out of here.

•••••

While Laura had been trapped in a tower that all of humanity didn’t know existed, Danny, Kirsch, and the rest of the villagers were partying to their hearts’ content. And when Sherman Hollis came busting through the doors of the village pub, frantically running about looking for just someone to help get Laura back, they all turned their heads away.

The town had believed the man to be mad. He was insane and imagined everything. But Danny didn’t care. Helping the father of the girl she loved would get her a step up, right? Even if he didn’t know what he was saying?

•••••

Across the castle in the kitchen, there was an excited buzz filling the atmosphere. They had a guest for the first time in ages! Mattie, a tea kettle, was hustling around the kitchen, not only trying to keep Will, a tea cup and her younger brother, out of trouble, but making sure that things were going perfectly. Laura Hollis would be given a special treatment; they would bring her down and present her with a feast. That was, until Carmilla came storming into the kitchen.

“What the frilly hell is this?” She looked around the room at the insane amount of food piling up, then to Laf, Perry, and Mattie. It all clicked together. She’d thought she heard them earlier with the girl, _Laura,_ but she didn’t know what they were truly up to. “You gave her a room? You gave the _prisoner_ a room? And now you’re cooking up a meal for her?”

LaFontaine glanced over to Perry, but she hadn’t been looking back, her face facing the ground in guilt. Laf sighed then looked up at Carmilla, “We couldn’t just leave her in that cell. Well, we thought maybe that she could be the one?”

Carmilla laughed. Did they seriously still believe that there was someone out there who would break the curse? “You’re kidding me, right?”

“No, Kitty,” Mattie wore a guilty smile but she wasn’t going to give up now. They couldn’t. They had to at least give Laura a try. They knew if they didn’t at least try, there would be no way they would be back to humans ever again. “We were going to bring her down to have dinner with you, if you’d like to invite her yourself…”

“Fine,” Carmilla sighed as they headed out the door and up to Laura’s room.

•••••

Laura had collected all of the fabric that she could find and created a rope to climb down as she attempted to escape the castle. She has been all set; the rope had reached the ground and the opposite end was tied around the bed. She was adding her final additions when she was stopped short by a knock on the door.

Laura sighed and brushed off her skirt, walking closer to the door. “Who is it?”

“Carmilla.”

Laura froze. She knew she was out of the cell? Why was she here? Was she going to kill her? “What do you want?”

“Uhhmm, well, I was wondering if you would join me for dinner?”

“You’re kidding, right? You lock me up in a cell in your castle and now you want me to come have dinner with you?”

“It’s not my fault you showed up at my castle! Come to dinner with me!”

“It’s not my fault that you locked up my father! So no, I will not join you for dinner.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Laura storms over to the bed and sits down, grabbing a pillow and dropping her head onto it. This girl was going to treat her like shit then try to be kind? It didn’t add up.

Outside, Carmilla was enraged. She was going to allow her to keep the room, so the least she could do is follow her orders. For God’s sake, she was her prisoner! Carmilla looked at everyone around her; they all wore expressions of pity. Carmilla felt sick as she stormed away. “You know what? If she doesn’t eat with me, she doesn’t eat at all!”

•••••

Carmilla had ran through almost the entire castle in order to get to the room.

The rose sat in a glass container in the center of the table. Its petals shone a bright red, almost like blood. Long ago, Carmilla may have laughed at the thought but now it just reminded her of what she was and what she lost. A Countess with everything turned into a beast with nothing and no one.

But petals were falling day by day, and she knew that her time was almost up. The rose was reduced down to only a small amount of living petals, the rest littering the ground around it. In that second, another rose fell, and the entire castle could feel the impact of it. The ground shook beneath their feet, the shock freezing them for but a moment. 

Beside the rose sat a mirror, but it was no ordinary mirror. It had the power to see anyone that its holder desired to see. And at that moment, Carmilla had wanted to see Laura. And there she was, sitting on the bed, knees up to her chest and her arms tightly secured around a pillow. Suddenly, Carmilla felt bad for her actions. But why? If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t have bothered her so much. But it seemed that little Laura Hollis wasn’t anyone else.

•••••

Laura sat on the windowsill, her legs dangling out the window. She stared down towards the ground, the end of the rope seeming to be miles away. Her hands gripped the rope like her life depended on it, and she was about to swing out the window when there was yet another knock at the door. Laura leaned her head against the wall as a grumble escaped her lips. “Who is it?”

“It’s Mattie, darling.”

Laura hopped up and walked over to the door, opening it slowly and peering out the crack. There sat a tea kettle on a cart and no Carmilla in sight. She opened the door the rest of the way. “What do you want?”

“Well, we aren’t going to have you starve now, are we? Come on, let’s get you some dinner.”

Mattie started to roll away, but Laura hesitated to go anywhere. “I thought Carmilla said if I didn’t eat with her, then I don’t eat at all?”

Mattie chuckled, “Don’t be scared by her, kitten. Her threats are all empty. Now, come on!”

Laura walked slowly beside the tea kettle, her mind swirling with thoughts. _Carmilla was rude, inconsiderate, and a raging… bad person! Why weren’t any of the… residents here scared of her? They don’t listen to anything the vampire said, isn’t that kind of risky?_

If anything, she guessed it wasn’t something to worry about, considering here she was, going to eat after being told she couldn’t. How did she even end up in this mess?

When they approached the dining hall, the doors were wide open and the lights were all shut off, the only light source being the few candles lining the walls. She stepped up to the table and a chair slid out for her to sit down in. She slid into the chair, looking around the room in question. What was this? Was this a trap?

Her thoughts were broken by the sight of LaFontaine under a spotlight in the center of the table. All of the candles were now blown out; all focus was on the candlestick in the middle of the table. LaF smirked, then began, “Mein liebes Fräulein, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... your dinner!”

The spotlight shut off bringing the whole room into a deep dark. But the silence is cut off quick with LaFontaine’s voice.

_**Be our guest! Be our guest  
Put our service to the test  
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie  
And we'll provide the rest  
Soup du jour  
Hot hors d'oeuvres  
Why, we only live to serve  
Try the grey stuff, it's delicious  
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes** _

As LaF’s singing and the ominous piano playing from Theo continued on, silverware and plates danced across the room, flying through the air in intricate patterns then landing gently on the table in front of each seat, even if there was no one else but Laura. Various dishes slid up in front of Laura as LaF led her to try each and every one of them.

_**They can sing, they can dance  
And a dinner here is never second best  
Go on, unfold your menu  
Take a glance and then you'll  
Be our guest  
Oui, our guest  
Be our guest!** _

_**Beef ragout  
Cheese soufflé  
Pie and pudding, en flambé  
We'll prepare and serve with flair  
A culinary cabaret!** _

LaFontaine had begun dancing across the table, jumping and floating through the air with colorful lights shining across the room, putting on a show for Laura. After everything that had happened in the past day, she had to admit that in a way, this was helping her feel a bit better at the least.

_**You're alone  
And you're scared  
But the banquet's all prepared  
No one's gloomy or complaining  
While the flatware's entertaining  
We tell jokes! I do tricks  
With my fellow candlesticks!  
And it's all in perfect taste  
That you can bet** _

_**Come on and lift your glass  
You've won your own free pass  
To be our guest  
If you're stressed  
It's fine dining we suggest  
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!** _

The lights dimmed, the spotlight once again on LaFontaine, who stood in the middle of the table, that of which had magically become empty again. “Life is so unnerving for a servant who's not serving; he's not whole without a soul to wait upon. Ah, those good old days when we were useful—Eh, Perr? Suddenly those good old days are gone; too long, we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting, needing exercise, a chance to use our skills.   
Most days, we just lay around the castle; flabby, fat, and lazy. You walked in and oops-a-daisy!”

In the kitchen, Mattie is carting around, working on getting everyone in line and making things perfect for Laura. There were at least 10 people―or, items―that were working in the kitchen; cooking, cleaning, prepping so that when it came down to the end of LaF’s performance, Laura’s dinner would be ready. Mattie smiled and started, “It's a guest! It's a guest! Sake's alive, well I'll be blessed! Wine's been poured and thank the Lord, I've had the napkins freshly pressed. With dessert, she'll want tea, and my dear, that's fine with me! While the cups do their soft-shoein', I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing. I'll get warm, piping hot―Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot? Clean it up! We want the company impressed! We've got a lot to do! Is it one lump or two? For you, our guest! She’s our guest!”

_**Be our guest! Be our guest!  
Our command is your request  
It's been years since we've had anybody here  
And we're obsessed** _

_**With your meal, with your ease  
Yes, indeed, we aim to please  
While the candle light's still glowing  
Let us help you, we'll keep going** _

_**Course by course, one by one  
'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"  
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest  
Tonight, you'll prop your feet up  
But for now, let's eat up  
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!  
Please, be our guest!** _

Lights of all different shapes and colors illuminated from various different areas, giving the room a rainbow glow. LaFontaine was posed on the table; plates, napkins, and silverware surrounded them as they sung the end of their song. When silence was once again brought, the lights shut off and the candles were lit once again, bringing an ominous glow to the room.

LaF walked up to Laura, a broad smile on their face, that of which Laura couldn’t help but return. A cart rolled up beside them with a plate filled with goodies on it. LaF laughed, “Cookies?

•••••

Laura walked down the empty hallways, Mattie by her side, her mind swirling with thoughts. She couldn’t take her mind off of the vampire, who scared the living hell out of Laura but didn’t seem to bother anyone else around here. Why? Laura looked over to Mattie, “Was she always that scary? Carmilla?”

Mattie gave Laura a sideways look, before chucking. “Oh, gadget, not always. The old Carmilla, the Countess we all knew as one of the most kind hearted souls, lies somewhere deep down inside of her. But it’s buried under so much baggage that only someone who could break the curse could bring that back.”

“The curse… that’s why you’re all like this right? How is it broken?”

“Well, darling, it can only be broken if someone is able to love Carmilla for who she is, and they see beyond the monster on the outside. We’ve been hoping for years that someone would come along and break the curse but time is running so low that it seems like an impossible fate at this point.”

Laura could do nothing but nod. Love Carmilla past the monster? But was there even truly anything but the snark and anger?

They approached the stairs, Laura bidding adieu to Mattie, and beginning up the stairs. But before she turned to go up to the East Wing, her eyes traveled to the West Wing. It was dark and terrifying but Laura had an all-consuming desire to just take a single look. That couldn’t hurt, right?

Laura started down the hallway, following it until she came to a room. Paintings of Carmilla lined parts of the wall, one of them with a giant tear down the middle, as if from a pair of claws. Moonlight shined down through an opening that led out to a balcony, the light illuminating a rose in the center of the room. The rose shone a bright red, but it had lost almost all of its petals. _This must be it,_ Laura thought, _This is the rose that’s counting down their fate._

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Carmilla voiced boomed, echoing off the walls and shooting back at Laura. Laura turned around, her face gone pale and her body shaking. She had to come up with some story, right?

“I got lost… This castle is huge, you know?”

“Just.. _Get out!!!_ ” Laura heeded Carmilla’s orders and bolted out of the room. If she was running from there, why couldn’t she just run away completely? She made it out to the foyer, bolting out the doors even as voices from inside screamed at her to _don’t do it!_ But she didn’t care, she had to get away from there. And fast.

Her horse remained where it had been; tied up against the front stairway. She untied him and hopped on him, immediately trotting off into the forest. The second they reached between the trees, it was hard to determine where they were going. There was no sign of a path anywhere and the light sky was beginning to grow into a dark sea. If it took them any longer to find a path, or at least a way back to the village, they’d be lost.

They began to find some sort of opening, and Laura thought they were safe, until she heard faint growling coming from every direction. Slowly, a small pack of wolves came out from behind the trees, causing the horse to back up, fright evident in both of their eyes. The wolves began to charge but were cut off by something―a huge black cat. _Carmilla._

She began to take out each wolf one by one, but they just kept coming. She would bite their necks and rip through their skin, but the other wolves would come and jump onto her back, garnering her large slices down her back. But in the end, she overpowered them all. She won. 

But that didn’t mean that Carmilla was okay, because in a flash, she transformed back into a human body and passed out on the ground, her bare skin covered in snow and blood.

•••••

The second Laura ran down the hall, Carmilla knew she had screwed up big time. She was trying so hard not to scare Laura away, but she just kept failing. She actually believed that she could be friends with someone for once without scaring them away. But she was failing at that, because there Laura went, running out the door as fast as she possibly could. But at this time of night, there was no way she would survive. Carmilla knew what she had to do.

In a split second, Carmilla shifted into her cat form and sprinted out the door after Laura. If she was going to at least try to see if she was _the one,_ she had to save her. And Carmilla knew this girl was special; she was falling for her the second she made eye contact with her.

It took Carmilla longer than she had expected to find Laura. But when she heard the growls of wolves, she knew exactly where she was. She bolted toward her, barely making it in time to stop Laura from being eaten alive. She was able to fight them off, in the end winning, but she was hurt to a point where she couldn’t hold herself together. She fell to the ground as she changed back into a human form, her small body landing in the harsh cold of the snow. Anything to save the girl she was falling for, right?

•••••

Laura bolted to Carmilla’s side, holding her hand with one hand, the other checking the wounds on her back. She just _saved_ her… but why? Wasn’t she just screaming at her to get out? Why did she care enough to follow her out here and keep her from dying? “Oh, you stupid vampire…”

But Laura knew Carmilla was truly hurt, and if she didn’t get her back to the castle fast, then she would end up dying. She lifted the vampire and rested her in front of her on the horse, so that Laura could keep Carmilla on the horse while controlling it at the same time. They raced back the way they came, only losing their way once or twice, and managed to get back to the castle in a matter of minutes.

She hopped off the horse, wrapping Carmilla’s arm around her shoulder so she could carry her up the steps, her empty hand grasping onto Carmilla’s as if it was the only thing keeping her alive. The doors swung open to a room filled with almost anything that inhabited the castle. “Carmilla needs help. Quick.”

•••••

It wasn’t long before Sherman was leading Danny and Kirsch through the woods and even more so, getting lost. Sherman thought he knew which way he was going but it was like they had been going in circles for the past half hour. They had reached a point where the path split into two, Sherman almost recognizing it immediately from when he had traveled towards the castle the first time.

But there was a problem. The first time, there was a fallen tree blocking one side of the path. But now, it seemed that the tree was gone. And Sherman couldn’t remember which path he took. So they sat there, Danny annoyed and Kirsch worried, as Sherman battled with himself on which way to go.

But Danny couldn’t take it much longer. She burst. “There is no castle.”, “Laura isn’t with a beast.”, “You’re a delusional old crone!”, “Just let me be with your daughter!” It took everything in Kirsch to hold her back from doing something horrible to Laura’s father. It seemed to work. At least for now.

Sherman froze. _She came to help, just so she could be with my daughter?_ “You think that after this, I was going to give you my blessing? Never in a million years would I let someone like yo-”

Danny broke free of Kirsch’s grasp and took a hold on Sherman, pushing him up to a tree, tying him to it so that he would be stuck here. To be fed to the wolves while Danny and Kirsch went back home unscathed.

•••••

Laura sat behind Carmilla, the vampire sitting on a stool with her back covered in gashes and blood. A cart with cloths and water sat next to them, along with a jug of blood. Carmilla was still pretty much not aware of anything going on, all she knew was that her back stung and if she didn’t get blood now, she was going to pass out from it. Luckily, Laura had poured blood into a mug for her, handing her the mug and letting her take a few sips before she got started on her back.

Laura dipped a cloth into warm water and began cleaning the blood off of Carmilla’s back, only to have her flinch away at the touch. “What?”

Carmilla turned her head around to give Laura a glare. “The fact that I had to come save your child self is a pain enough without having you wipe me up like a dribbling child.”

“I’m sorry that you decided to come save me rather than just letting me go. Now let me help you.” Laura continued cleaning the blood off of Carmilla’s back, then proceeding to bandage the wounds. She took the empty mug of blood and set it aside, then helped put Carmilla back into her bed. “Just be careful, okay? I know you don’t need me telling you this but you were seriously injured and you have to take it easy.”

She filled up another mug, placing it on the bedside table, then walking to sit at the foot of the bed. LaFontaine, Perry, Mattie, and Will all gathered around Laura, waiting for her to say something. “Why do you guys care about her so much?”

Mattie was the first to respond, “She like a sister or a daughter to the majority of us. Before the enchantress casted the spell on the kingdom, Carmilla had a heart of gold. She was like my younger sister and I loved her with all of my heart. Even through her first few years as a vampire, she tried her best to stay true to who she was.”

“But that all changed after she met Ell,” stated Perry. “Ell was the first girl Carmilla ever came to love, but once she found out that Carmilla wasn’t human, she broke her heart as hard as she could. She became cold and guarded; she blocked us all out the best she could. Her way of coping was to become cruel and disaffected.”

“But the girl we once knew,” LaF began, “is in there somewhere. The right person just has to come along and break her shell. We were hoping it would be you, but time is cutting short and nothing has happened yet so…”

Laura looked back over at Carmilla, her hair spread across her pillow, small strands lying across her face. She was covered in bandages and her skin seemed to be even more pale than it had been before. Seeing her like that, fragile and broken, it made Laura’s heart break a little bit. But why? She couldn’t possibly… “Yeah, I’m sorry guys, but I don’t think that I’m the one. But is there any other way I could possibly help?”

Will popped up and into Laura’s hands, a sad smile on his face. They all looked at each other with the same look, then looked back at Laura. They all shook their heads. There was nothing Laura could do. And she wasn’t going to be the one falling in love with Carmilla. I mean, she was mean and careless. She couldn’t possibly fall for someone like that, right?

But Laura didn’t realize that she already was.

•••••

Sherman woke up in an unfamiliar spot in the woods. He was glad he wasn’t dead, but he sure as hell was stressed about where he was. Someone must have kidnapped him. But when he saw a familiar face come through the trees to the little camp set up, he was immediately relieved. _Lilita Morgan._

She had set up a small fire, and she handed him a cup of soup that she had made for him. There beside him lay a stack of blankets, one of which was wrapped around him. He was eternally grateful for this woman. 

•••••

Laura had been sitting next to Carmilla’s bed, waiting for her to wake up so she could check the vampire’s wounds. She had a book in front of her, _The Second Jungle Book,_ and she subconsciously began reading it out loud. “‘It had been very firmly fastened, but the crowd tore it away bodily, and the light of the torches streamed into the room where, stretched at full length on the bed, his paws crossed and lightly hung down over one end, black as the Pit, and terrible’-”

“-’as a demon was Bagheera.’ I always loved that. It’s beautiful.” Carmilla was suddenly awake, sitting upright as if she’d been awake for a while. Laura gave her a crooked look, and then smiled slightly.

“Or, you know, terrifying, because giant black cat.” Carmilla glared at her at that remark, then looking down, a small smirk creeping onto her face. Laura looked over at her and chuckled. “Don’t even think for one second that you aren’t terrifying, because frilly hell, you really are.”

“If I were that scary, then why are you still here?”

“Uhm, because if I did leave, you’d just run after me to keep me stuck here.”

Carmilla looked over at Laura, her eyes filled with lust. “Cupcake, you know what I meant.”

And Laura stopped. She was right, wasn’t she? If Carmilla was so terrifying, then why was she still sitting beside her bed, ready to help her in a moments notice? All Laura could do was stare at the floor. She didn’t want to know what would happen if she looked up at Laura.

But Carmilla wasn’t done, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “You know, there’s a huge library downstairs. I could, uh, take you there if you wanted? So you don’t have to read the same book over and over?”

Laura finally looked up. Carmilla Karnstein, the rude, broody vampire, was being _nice._ She didn’t know if this was real or if she was being played, but Laura decided to take her chances. She smiled, truly smiled, for the first time in a while. “I think I might like that.”

•••••

Carmilla swore she was going mad. Everytime she looked at the small girl, she felt her broody, callous shield slipping away. She was letting her guard down, her heart slowly mending. Who knew that a girl like Laura, stubborn, but oh so caring, would break open a girl like Carmilla?

She couldn’t hide the fact that she was falling for Laura. God, that girl was breaking her to pieces. She barely knew the girl yet she loved everything about her. And that was enough for Carmilla. She just hoped that maybe, just maybe, the girl would learn to like her too. Maybe even love her.

•••••

When Carmilla said there was a library in the castle, Laura didn’t know what to expect. But when they walked into the room, Laura felt like she couldn’t breathe. It was _huge,_ to say the least. Laura couldn’t even begin to imagine how many books were in there. She couldn’t help but wonder… “Have you read all of these books?”

Carmilla froze. “What?”

“I asked if you had read all of these books. I mean, you’re a vampire, so you’ve probably been around for ages, and there isn’t exactly a lot to do in the castle so…”

“Cupcake, you really think I’d be able to read all of these books?”

“I don’t know… I mean it’s insane how many are in here. We don’t anything even remotely close to this back home. I’ve been rereading the same books over and over since I was a child.”

Carmilla looked at her. Laura looked like this place was the greatest thing she had ever laid eyes on. “Well, if you love it so much, then it can be yours.”

Laura looked at Carmilla, visibly confused. “Did you just say what I think you said? What happened to the grumpy, indifferent vampire?”

“You know what, I take it ba-”

“No! No, I love it. Thank you.” Laura smiled and looked at Carmilla like she had hung the stars in the sky. Laura had no idea what she was doing to the vampire, just as much as Carmilla didn’t know that Laura was slowly falling under her spell. Maybe there was a chance that the curse could be broken.

•••••

Carmilla was turning into a puddle with Laura’s every words. They sat across from each other on opposite ends of the table, Laura with a book in hand and soup in front of her. Carmilla couldn’t help but stare at the girl. She picked up her mug of blood, chugging down half of it to distract her from staring too long at Laura. But Laura must’ve known something was up.

When Carmilla put her mug down, Laura was looking at her, chuckling. “Nice bloodstache.”

She lifted a finger and touched her upper lip to find that, yes, there was blood there. That girl would be the death of her. Carmilla knew then that she was screwed.

•••••

Snow covered the ground for as far as the eye could see, the land shimmering a bright white under the sun. Carmilla and Laura walked down a path around the castle, a comfortable silence settling around them. They made it to a bridge that crossed over a lake, the lake completely frozen over. The sight was beautiful. “It feels like I’m seeing it for the first time.”

Laura looked over at Carmilla, who was staring off into the distance. “You mean you haven’t been out here in a long time? Why?”

“It’s been years, Cupcake. I never had the strength to come back out here, nor did I have a reason to.” Carmilla’s voice got quieter, “But you gave me reason to.”

Laura didn’t say anything back. She _couldn’t_ say anything. _She_ gave her reason to come out here? Carmilla was changing right in front of her. They looked at each other, their gazes unwavering, and it became like they were the only two people on the planet, their surroundings fading away. What was happening to them?

Laura suddenly broke the gaze, “Uh, I think- I think we should probably head back.”

Carmilla nodded, continuing down the path back to the castle. Laura runs ahead, running up the steps but then stopping, and watch as Carmilla smirks at her. Laura smiles then looks down at the snow. She grabs a handful and chucks it at Carmilla, who just looks up, her eyebrow quirked in amusement.

In return, Carmilla grabs a huge chunk of snow and hurls it at Laura, who had to dunk before she got knocked over by it. Laura pops back up, laughing, and it seems that Carmilla was laughing too. _She’s changing,_ Laura thought, _and it’s insane. Her callous attitude is fading away and there’s truly a heart underneath it. They were right. There is a girl under the beast._

•••••

Carmilla was changing. She knew that. Hell, she knew Laura was the reason. Why was this tiny, stubborn girl breaking her open? But she didn’t mind. How could she mind? The girl was slowly letting her in, slowly accepting Carmilla. The girl was dropping down her walls as well. And it made Carmilla want to give Laura the world.

This girl who she’s barely known a week was making her crumble. God, she hoped that Laura was the one. Laura knew who she was and was beginning to see past it. She was accepting Carmilla for who she was. But was she falling for Carmilla they was she was for her?

There was only so much time left until the last petals would fall. Maybe a week, maybe more, maybe less. But Carmilla knew she was running out of time. Fast. And if Laura wasn’t the one, Carmilla vowed that she would go back to how she was. She wasn’t going to let another Ell destroy her world.

•••••

Laura couldn’t stop thinking about her. In a matter of days, Carmilla was changing. Her snarky remarks were fading and, for god’s sake, she was smiling. The broody vampire was _happy_ around Laura. But why?

What made Laura so special that she could change Carmilla?

She was out on a walk to the rose garden, hopefully to clear her mind, but when she walked in there, Carmilla was sat on a bench, reading a book. Laura thought of turning around and heading back inside, but she was caught. “Cupcake, come over here.”

Laura followed suit, scared that if she didn’t, Carmilla might go back to wanting to use her as a juicebox. She walked over to the bench, sitting down next to Carmilla. She peered over her shoulder, taking a look at whatever Carmilla was reading. “‘Those who prefer their principles over their happiness, they refuse to be happy outside of the conditions they seem to have attached to their happiness.’ Sounds … light and frothy.”

“It’s comforting. He understands that love doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.”

The two girls lock eye contact, their expressions unreadable. Laura breaks the gaze, saying, “I think that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Laura spoke up at the sound of cheers inside the castle. “They’re really a fun group, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, until I walk in the room. It’s like I’m the off switch to their joy.”

“I get it.” Carmilla looks over at Laura, brow furrowed in confusion. How could Laura Hollis, this bubble of joy, scare people away?

“The village believes I’m strange. It’s all they ever talk about when I’m around.”

Carmilla hesitantly reaches over and grabs Laura’s hand. “Laura, I’m sorry.” She pauses for a moment. “Your village sounds terrible.”

Laura chuckles then looks at Carmilla. “It’s almost as lonely as your castle.”

After that, a silence settles back over them. But this time, it was a peaceful quiet, unlike the restricting silence there once was. Laura rested her head on Carmilla’s shoulder to continue reading with her, but then Carmilla speaks again. “Hey Laura?”

Laura could’ve sworn her heart stopped for a moment. Carmilla just said her name. Not cupcake, but her _real name._ What the hell was happening to her? “Yeah?”

“What if we ran away?”

•••••

Carmilla led Laura to the farthest corner of library where upon a table there sat a book. Carmilla opened up to the middle, then looked up at Laura. “This book was from the enchantress, as another part of the curse. It’ll take you anywhere you can imagine. But being me, if I were to leave the castle and show myself in public, well, that wouldn’t exactly bare well with anyone. But I thought that, maybe, I could take you somewhere?”

Laura smiled at the gesture then realized, it could take her _anywhere._ She knew then where she wanted to go. “I’d love to.”

“Okay so, just close your eyes and picture- And we’re already there.” The two of them appeared in a small room with a bed, a cradle, and a bunch of other worn out items that were scattered across it. There was a big window that looked out at the city, _Paris,_ Carmilla recognized. “So you chose Paris? We could go see The Louvre or The Eiffel Tower or… where even are we?”

“The house I was born in. Where I lived before-” Laura had to stop before her voice cracked and she cried. “Before my mother passed away. But that was the one thing my father would never tell me. How she died.”

Laura felt the tears starting to slip out of her eyes as she sat down on the bed. Carmilla began to walk over to her but stepped on something. She picked it up, noticing that it was a doctor’s mask. “L-Laura,” Carmilla showed Laura the mask, “I think it was the plague.”

“Carm…” Laura voiced cracked as more tears streamed down her face. She ran over to Carmilla, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head in the crook of her neck. Carmilla was taken aback for a moment before wrapping her arms tightly around Laura, one hand on her back, the other gently caressing her hair. Her heart broke at the sight of Laura crying in her arms. She knew then that she would do anything to make Laura happy. To keep Laura safe.

•••••

Sherman found himself back in the village in a matter of hours. He wanted everyone to know what happened. He had to get justice. For Laura’s sake.

He stormed into the pub, fury coursing through his veins. He was going to find Danny and make sure everyone knew what she did. But she wasn’t there. But there sure as hell was a crowd that he could share his story with. So he did.

“Danny Lawrence is not a hero. She went with me to go save Laura, then stopped in the middle of the forest and tied me up to a tree! She was going to leave me there, leave me to the wolves, all because I wouldn’t give me her blessing to go for my daughter! She called me delusional but for God’s sake, she was going to leave me to die!”

And as if on cue, Danny and Kirsch walked into the pub, confused at the sight of people murmuring and directly secret gazes at the two. Then someone decided to speak up. “Danny, is it true that you left Sherman out in the woods? Tied up to a tree?”

Danny looked at the man, then to Sherman, anger visible in every part of her. Then she put on the best smile she could and tried to play it off. “Sherman! I’m so glad to see you’re okay! I was truly worried that you weren’t going to come back after we lost you!”

But Sherman wasn’t having any of it. Not at all. “You didn’t lose me, you narcissistic girl. You left me there, just tossed me off to the side to get eaten by wolves!” He turned to address the crowd. “You don’t believe me? Ask Lilita! She was there! She saved me!”

Danny laughed. “ _Lilita_ saved you? That’s the funniest thing I heard in years! And why should they believe you, Sherman? They all think that you’re a madman. Right, Kirsch?”

In the corner, Lilita stood, her head down, averting the ever growing amount of looks being thrown in her direction. She did save him, they all knew it, but Sherman was the town’s madman. Or they made it out that way because that was the only thing they knew how to do: be crude, vile, selfish, callow assholes.

“Ah, yes, Wilson Kirsch! He was there as well! Why don’t you tell everyone what you saw?”

“Oh, um, well…” He looked at Sherman, then over at Danny. He didn’t know what to do. He knew if he told the truth, Danny would never in a million years forgive him. But if he didn’t tell the truth, he knew they would do something horrible to Sherman. He knew it for a fact. Danny was planning on sending Sherman to a mental institution, and poor Sherman Hollis would barely make it a month in there with people who were truly insane. And it would break Laura’s heart. But Danny was selfish. And shallow. She was willing to do anything, no matter the cost. He made up his mind.

“Danny is telling the truth, Sherman just vanished! So we turned and came back after looking for him for a few minutes. It was all we could’ve done.” Kirsch looked up at Danny, who was smirking in Sherman’s direction.

“See,” Danny started, “he’s insane! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She gestured to a couple of men behind her, all walking over to Sherman. “Which is why we’re taking you to get help Sherman.”

The men grabbed a hold of Sherman and began dragging him away. He began yelling, “I’m not crazy! I swear! You can’t send me to a madhouse!” But it was too late. He was out the doors and into a car before anyone could say anything, a crowd of laughing drunks following Danny right behind him.

•••••

Carmilla sat in a chair, a towel wrapped around her body as she attempted to dry her hair to the best of her abilities. She asked Laura on a date, sort of. She invited her to dance with her, to have a mini ball, just the two of them. Ever since they made it back from Paris, Laura wasn’t herself and Carmilla decided it was her duty to make her feel better.

LaF and Perry were with Carmilla, trying their best to make her look stunning. They let her hair fall down her back in silky waves, and gave her the lightest touch of makeup. Carmilla slipped on her best pair of leather pants, her black corset, a blazer, and a pair of black heels. She sat for another moment, her hands fidgeting in her lap, thinking if she should really have done this.

“Carmilla Karnstein, stop worrying. You’ll be fine. She said yes, didn’t she? So go down there and win your girl.”

•••••

Laura stepped into the yellow ball gown, the sleeves falling lightly across her shoulders. The Dress was high rise in the front but got longer in the back and trailed against the floor just a bit. It was lined with gold, adding glimmer to the dress. Laura felt good in it. She hoped that Carmilla would like it too.

She couldn’t help but admit that she was whole heartedly falling for the vampire. She shouldn’t be, yet there she was, wanting to give her heart to the girl. Carmilla was more than just the broody vampire, she was kind and caring and Laura couldn’t help but learn to like her. But love was out of the question. She knew that she wouldn’t, couldn’t, be able to break the curse. But even if she doesn’t, she’d still be by Carmilla’s side. She knew she would.

Laura walked down the steps into a large ballroom and at the bottom of the steps, there was Carmilla. And hell, Laura couldn’t help but notice she was dressed up and looked amazing. Carmilla held out her hand for Laura to take, a smile shining on her face. Carmilla led Laura into the center of the room, pulling her close, wrapping one arm around Laura’s back, and other holding onto Laura’s hand.

“Uh, Carm,” Laura looked wearily at the girl, “I don’t know how to dance.”

Carmilla smirked. “Just follow my lead. I’ve got you.”

_**Tale as old as time  
True as it can be  
Barely even friends  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly** _

They began swaying around the room as Mattie sang from the corner of the room, Theo playing the tune. Will, LaFontaine, and Perry all stood with Mattie, watching the two girls dance around the room. Laura rested her head against Carmilla shoulder, walking and swaying to the beat of the song. Then Carmilla surprised her, spinning her outwards, pulling her back in and dipping her.

Carmilla and Laura couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time in a while where the two of them were truly happy. They continued dancing across the room, Carmilla leading Laura into complicated moves every so often. They were happy. Together.

_**Certain as the sun  
Rising in the east  
Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast** _

_**Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast** _

Carmilla and Laura stopped as the song came to an end, looking into each other’s eyes like they were the only two people on Earth. Carmilla look Laura’s hand and led her onto a balcony that overlooked the castle on one side, the other able to see villages in a 20 mile radius. And it was an incredible view.

The two stood in silence, their hands locked together, as they looked out into the distance. Until Carmilla spoke up. “So, you could be happy here?”

Laura looked up at Carmilla with sorrow in her eyes. “Could anybody be happy if they aren’t free?”

Carmilla looked back at Laura, her expression soft, as if she were slowly breaking. It was silent for another moment before Carmilla spoke again. “Can I show you something?”

Laura nodded her head hesitantly then followed Carmilla through the hallways of the castle.

•••••

Carmilla found herself taking Laura to the room. The rose still sat there, a petal breaking off and falling to the the table top. Beside it sat the mirror. That’s what Carmilla came here for. The mirror. She was going to let Laura use it to see her dad. “This mirror, it lets you see whoever you desire. And I thought that maybe you would want to see your dad?”

Carmilla handed the mirror to Laura, who looked at it carefully before smiling lightly. “I wish to see my dad.”

In a matter of seconds, the mirror swirled with light. After it faded, there was Sherman Hollis. But he wasn’t smiling, he was yelling. He wasn’t in their cottage; he was outside of the pub being restrained by a group of men who were trying to put him in the back of a truck. _Frilly hell,_ Laura thought, _they’re sending him away._

Carmilla grabbed ahold of Laura’s free hand, squeezing to let her know that she was there. Then Carmilla knew what she had to do. She loved the girl. She knew she did. When she looked into her eyes. When they were dancing. She knew she had fallen in love with Laura.

And if Carmilla truly loved Laura, she knew she had to let her go. She had to let her go save her father. The last thing Carmilla wanted to see was Laura leaving, but she also couldn’t bare to see Laura broken as her dad was carted away to some unknown place. So she did. “Go to him.”

Laura glanced at Carmilla. “What?”

“Go to your father. I know how much he means to you. So, go save him, Cupcake.”

And she did. Laura smiled and kissed Carmilla on the cheek before running after her father. And all Carmilla could do was watch her leave.

•••••

Everyone watched as Laura bolted out the castle doors, hopping on her horse for the second time in her stay at the castle. But they didn’t know what had done it this time. Last time, it was so obvious. But this time, they knew Carmilla hadn’t done anything. So what made Laura leave.

They all ran to the room to see Carmilla sitting on the balcony, her legs pulled up to her chest and her head resting against the wall. They watched as a tear rolled down her face, and they watched as she caught them, wiping the tear away fast and her face growing red. In embarrassment and frustration.

They all walked over to her, watching all of the emotions change rapidly on her face. They all knew. She had let Laura go.

Laf spoke up, “You just let her go?!”

“Her dad was in trouble, they were going to send him off somewhere or something, and I couldn’t bare to let Laura just sit here and watch it all happen. I wanted to let her try and help her dad. It would’ve hurt me more if she was broken and here, than if she was not here but she was okay. So I let her go.”

They all wore looks of pity and sympathy. Carmilla loved Laura. It was known by everyone in the castle. God, they all loved her just as much. And they knew how much this was breaking Carmilla. So they let her spill her emotions. They let her cry.

“Guys, I loved her. I loved her so much, and I know it was wrong and I shouldn’t have fallen in love with the girl but I couldn’t help it. Yes she was flawed, and struggling, and uncertain. But she was so kind and gentle. She listen to my sad tale and she didn’t flinch away. I loved her and I let her leave. And now you guys are all going to be stuck as trinkets for the rest of time and I’m so so sorry I couldn’t save you guys.”

Now all they could do was wait. Wait for Laura to possibly return. Wait for their time to come to an end.

•••••

Laura could feel her heart pounding out of her chest as she rode into town, scared for her father. How could they ship Sherman away like that? When she saw that Danny of all people was leading the riot around Sherman, she felt sick to her stomach.

Danny _liked_ her, for god’s sake. If she really liked her, why was she doing something that she knew would destroy Laura? “Danny! What the hell are you doing?”

Laura jumped off the horse and bolted to the crowd, watching as all of the townsfolk yelled at her father who was sitting in the back of this truck. Danny stopped and told everyone to be quiet when she noticed Laura. “I’ll say it again: What the hell are you doing? Why are you sending my dad off?”

Danny raised an eyebrow curiously at the girl. She was wearing a yellow dress that Danny was absolutely sure Laura didn’t, and couldn’t have, owned. The only explanation would be that she truly was at a castle, with some sort of beast. But Danny didn’t want to believe that. How could she? Monsters were a work of fiction, right? “Sherman here made us believe that you were trapped in a castle, with a monster! Your father is mad, Laura. He needs to be sent off to a madhouse! And you know it.”

“My father is not crazy! And Carmilla isn’t a monster, she gentle and kind, and she _does_ exist!”

Danny laughed, the entire crowd following suit. “How do I know you’re not crazy like your father?”

“Do I need to prove it?” She pulled the mirror out from her waistband, wishing that she could see Carmilla. She held it out to the crowd. “See?”

The crowd gasped, making Laura wonder what the frilly hell was showing on the mirror. As she turned it around, she noticed that Carmilla was transforming into her cat form. “No, I know she is kind of scary, I get that. I was scared of her at first too! But if you let her be, she has a heart of gold!”

Danny ignored her, turning around to yell at the crowd. “Are you seriously going to believe this? This is some sort of game, but there is definitely some monster that was holding Laura in this castle. We are going to find it and we will kill the beast!” The crowd erupted in cheers and chants, everyone rushing around to find weaponry of any kind, pulling torches and pitchforks off of doorways. Laura had enough.

She grabs Danny’s hand, turning her around to gain her attention. “Danny, please just listen to me, you can’t-”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. I can, and I will. It hurt you didn’t it Laura? We’ll make sure it doesn’t ever hurt anyone or anything ever again.”

“But Danny, she didn’t hurt me! I sw-”

“Men,” Danny gestured to the guards standing by the car, “put her with her father.”

“What? Danny you can’t be serious! I- Hey!! Get off of me!” The men grabbed Laura by the arms, dragging her over to the car. They swung the back open and tossed her in, letting her body fall next to her father’s.

“Laura?”

•••••

They all remained out on the balcony, watching out in the distance, letting their minds wander. But things were immediately flipped upside down when light began to emit from the forest, chanting louder than life. A huge crowd of people broke through the tree, pitchforks and weaponry of all sorts being tossed through the air. They were here to kill Carmilla.

She looked up at the group, fear in her eyes. “What do we do?”

They all looked at each other. “You stay here,” Mattie said. “We’ll hold them off.”

They ran off, leaving Carmilla to watch from afar.

•••••

“Dad! I’m gonna get us out of here, I swear! We just have to-”

“How did you escape?”

Laura looked over at her father, her brows furrowed in confusion. Escape? “Carmilla let me go, to save you. I didn’t escape… I was set free.”

“Carmilla?”

“The vampire, the one who had you locked up? She let me go. She’s not as evil as she seems. She was kind and gentle and she took me to where we used to live. She took me to Paris. I know how mom died. And now they’re going to kill her! Oh my god, they’re going to kill her… I have to go save her, Dad.” Laura sat back against the side of the car, sighing as tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Then we’ll get you out of here. You can go save her. I mean, it’s just a lock, right? Just a bunch of gears, nothing I don’t know about. If only I had something to pick it…”

Laura felt her hair, and sure enough, her hair had been pulled back with bobby pins. She pulled one out, letting her hair fall, and handed it over to her father. Sherman began leaning his arm out the back bars, reaching and twisting to get to the lock, and after a few moments, he got it. He took the bobby pin and placed it in the lock, twisting and jiggling until it finally popped. The two looked at each other, mischievous smiles on their faces.

•••••

It took the strength of Theo, a desk, a coat hanger, and the added LaF and Perry to even try to hold the doors back. But the banging was consistent and strong, and at some point, they knew the door would swing open or break and they would have to fight. What else could they do? They had to at least try to protect Carmilla.

Every inhabitant of the castle stood in the foyer, weapons and strengths ready for the incoming mob. And across the castle, Carmilla sat waiting for the inevitable to come. Not only was there a mob coming to kill her, more than likely the idiotic villagers that Laura lived with, but the rose was on its last petal. It would fall in less than an hour, causing her to be trapped in the lonely castle, with nothing but broken trinkets.

It wasn’t long before the doors slammed open and villagers began to pile inside. “Attack,” a loud order, most likely from Mattie, boomed through the room, anything going and jumping, hitting, attacking the offenders. Danny moved through the room kicking and break things left and right. It wasn’t until Danny looked up to see a giant wardrobe, one everyone knew to be Mel, began falling towards her.

But Danny wasn’t the unlucky one. It was Kirsch. Danny was able to manage not getting crushed by Mel, but Kirsch was jumped on by Theo, holding him to the ground. Danny looked at him, his eyes expectant. But Danny had to leave him there. She had a goal. And helping him would make it harder. “I’m sorry, buddy, but I have something I have to do. And you’ll just get in my way.”

Danny walked away leaving Kirsch trapped underneath the piano. But it wasn’t long until he finally managed to push Theo off, then turning around and punching the guy who was about to breaking the piano. Mattie carted over at the sight. “You’re on our side?”

“I wasn’t at first, but then D-Bear stormed off on some impossible quest and left me to die. So why help them? These losers won’t be able to beat you guys anyways.”

Mattie could only smile before carting away and attacking more of the villagers, Kirsch by her side. She would have much rathered a more _bright_ teammate, but his strength would be just fine.

It wasn’t long before they took out all of the villagers, but they forgot one important piece. Danny was charging upstairs, crossbow in hand on a quest to kill Carmilla.

•••••

Laura sat peeking out the back of the car, her father standing beside her. They planned it out in a matter of minutes so they could only hope that it worked out in the end. Laura gave him the mirror to use as a weapon, hopefully to knock the guards out. But to their luck, only one remained and he seemed to be weaker than the rest. So when Sherman popped up behind the man, it was pretty easy to hit him over the head with the mirror, instantly knocking him out.

Now it was time for Laura to run. Run and find the horse and go save Carmilla. And so she did. Her horse remained just where she had left him; standing right near the village limits. She hopped on and started down to the woods as fast as she could. She knew time was limited, because when Danny starts something, she doesn’t stop until she finishes.

It didn’t take her long to make it to the castle. But when she walked inside and saw all of the weak faces, injured bodies, and a worried LaFontaine, she knew that her time was less than she had hoped for.

•••••

Danny had wander through so many hallways and she swore that she had been walking in circles, until the hallway got darker and creepier. She knew she had to be closer. That’s when she found herself in a room with dark walls, a rose, and a giant black cat resting on the balcony. _The monster._

“Hey, you! Get up!”

Carmilla turned around, facing what she could only guess was who would cause her end. Danny charged Carmilla, who jumped from the balcony and across the way to one of the many rooftops. She growled at Danny, who held up a crossbow, arrow in place, ready to shoot. Carmilla knew she had to run.

She jumped from roof to roof, dodging arrow after arrow until they suddenly stopped. Carmilla looked back and noticed the girl was _gone._ Straight up disappeared, ran away, gone. Carmilla didn’t know what to think until she saw Danny on a bridge across from her. And behind Carmilla, looking from a balcony, stood Laura who looked like she was terrified.

•••••

“Carm!” Laura yelled, her voice echoing through the air. Carmilla sighed, a slight smile stretching on her cat face. She lept over to Laura, shifting back into human form. She caressed Laura’s cheek, sighing. “Laura…”

That’s when Danny appeared behind Laura, a smirk plastered on her face. Laura turned around to face her, both girls’ veins coursing with anger. “Danny, why are you doing this?”

“Didn’t you see, Laura? This _thing_ is a spawn of the devil. She’s dangerous and won’t be stopped until I kill her.”

“She’s not evil, I swear! She won’t hu-”

“Shut up Laura! Can’t you see, she’s tricked you into thinking she’s harmless. It’s hilarious.”

That’s when Carmilla leapt across the way, to regain distance from the girl who could quite easily kill her if she really tried. And she did. Danny somehow managed to make her way to Carmilla, crossbow loaded. And so Carmilla sped to her, grabbed her by the neck and held her over the edge of the building, where she could easily fall to her death. But Laura wasn’t having it.

“Carm, please don’t! If you do it, it makes you no less better than she is! Just let her go, okay? She won’t hurt you because she can’t hurt me.” And Carmilla listened. She threw Danny to the side, coughing and curling up to regain her strength. And Carmilla lept over to Laura, taking her hands in her own.

“Laura, the last petal is going to fall soon and I’m going to be stuck like this in the castle forever. But I just wanted to let you know, before you leave me, tha-”

Carmilla couldn’t finish, because an arrow planted itself into her back. Danny stood across the way, a cocky smirk on her face. Laura didn’t know what to do as Carmilla fell to the ground. “Carm! Oh my god, I’m going to save you okay? I’m not gonna let you die. Not today, okay?”

Laura stood up, visibly angry and glaring at Danny. “What the hell happened to you? I thought you cared about me?”

Danny laughed and shot another two arrows, one landing in Carmilla’s stomach, the other in her unbeating heart. “Not anymore, sweetheart.”

Laura kneeled down in front of Carmilla, pulling her hair out of her face. Her face grew paler, if that was possible, and her eyes were struggling to stay open. “Carm, please, look at me. Look at me! You can’t go, not now. Please don’t leave me! I’m sorry I left, I should’ve stay, you wouldn’t be hurt if I had stayed, and god Carm, what happened to me? To you? To us?”

Laura finished talking just as Carmilla went limp in her hands. And the last petal fell, shaking the entire castle at its core. The structure Danny stood upon broke, sending her falling to her doom. And at that moment, she couldn’t have possibly cared less. She only cared about Carmilla. Carmilla, who was dead. Carmilla, who she impossibly loved.

She bent down, closing Carmilla eyes as tears streamed down her face. She placed a kiss on her frozen lips, letting the words whisper through the air. “I love you, Carmilla. I impossibly, wholeheartedly love you.”

And unknown to Laura, Lilita Morgan, the Enchantress, stood only a few feet away and heard the words fall from her mouth. Laura Hollis broke the curse. Time may have expired, but she’d loved her for a while now. And the least Lilita could do was spare the poor girl who had lost so much.

Carmilla’s body began floating out of Laura’s hands, causing the girl to jump back, confused and scared at the sight in front of her. A bright gold with the rose petals began swirling around Carmilla, who changed into a cat form, then the fur all disappeared to show Carmilla again. Her body landed back on the ground, but this time, she was moving, alive and okay. And no longer a vampire.

A shock ran through the entire castle, a brightness emitting through it all. The snow cleared away and everything regained its old form. LaFontaine, Perry, Mattie, Will, Mel, Theo, and everyone else returned to their human forms, cheering and hugging erupting through the castle. Things were going to be okay. Because Laura Hollis broke the curse.

Carmilla sat up and moved herself against the wall, leaning back and breathing heavily. She felt the air in her lungs, the heat in her veins, the beat of her heart. “Well frilly hell,” Carmilla breathed out, “this was not what I was expecting.”

And Laura ran over to her, kneeling down and hugging her like it was the last time she’d ever get to hold her. And Carmilla hugged back, arms weak yet strong, tears welling in both of their eyes. It wasn’t over. It wasn’t the end. They were okay.

They pulled back from the hug, and Laura immediately started up. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I thought I lost you and I couldn’t bare that and-”

And Carmilla kissed her. It took a moment for Laura to realize what was happening but she kissed back. Their lips brushed against each other’s and their hands held each other’s faces. They broke apart after a moment, smiling bright, their faces glowing with joy.

“And I know that this is impossible but-”

Carmilla cuts her off again with another kiss.

“But I love you.”

Carmilla kisses her again, breaking apart only to say,

“I love you, too.”

•••••

The castle ballroom was filled with villagers dancing and basking in the joy of the moment, Carmilla and Laura in the center of everyone. Theo played the piano with grace as Mel sang, her voice expelling beautiful lyrics. Carmilla held Laura in her arms as they waltzed across the floor, and they couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. They were blissfully happy.

Carmilla made it. She lived and breathed, danced and died, and lived again. And in the end, it worked out. They worked out.

Laura rested her head upon Carmilla’s shoulder, closing her eyes, listening to Carmilla’s heart pound in her chest. She whispered, just loud enough for Carmilla to hear. “I love you, now and forever.”

Carmilla sighed, pulling Laura into a kiss. “I love you too.”

And from there, they danced the night away, anticipating the journey to come. Whether it became hard or if they could just breeze right through, they knew they would make it. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! As I was going through the story editing and coding, I got a little teary eyed so I'm sorry if I made anyone cry lol. I'm always looking for what people thought of my writing so feedback in the comments is always great :)
> 
> If you want more of me, you can find me on Tumblr at earppwaverly and on Twitter at colleensvanlis!


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